FSU’s 31st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Week: ‘The Hate U Give’

Dwight James III, the host of the panel and one of the people who helped coordinate the events for the 31st Annual Martin Luther King Jr. week at FSU, questions the panel. (Pictured left to right: Nastassia Janvier, Jasmine Ali, and Cassandra Jenkins)(Photo: Emily McCarthy/FSView)

As a part of FSU’s 31st annual Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK Jr.) Week, the Askew Student Life Center presented the movie “The Hate U Give.” A panel discussion led by distinguished alumni and students took place after the showing.

“The Hate U Give” is about the life of Starr Carter. Starr lives a double-sided life as a black girl from a mostly black, poor neighborhood while going to a mostly white, wealthy prep school.

After the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend by a police officer, she is forced to deal with the shattering of her two worlds. Facing pressure from her community, Starr must find her voice.

The movie tackles some controversial topics like gun violence, police brutality, and drugs and their influence in poor, black communities.

The panel was led by: Nastassia Janvier, president of the FSU National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter; Jasmine Ali, a senior at FSU and former candidate for Leon County Commissioner; and Cassandra Jenkins, FSU alumni and member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Black Alumni at FSU.

The panel was asked questions about the movie and how the concepts in the movie relate to their life. One question was about how “coat-switching” attributes to Starr’s double consciousness.

In the movie, Starr talks about having two separate identities — the Williamson Prep Starr and the Garden Heights Starr.

“Coat-switching is what a lot of us have experienced going to predominately white schools,” Jenkins said. “There was a certain way you acted at home and there was a certain way you acted at school.”

Another question that was asked to the panel was about why minorities feel like they have to be in white spaces in order elevate their status.

“A lot of times as children it kind of develops in your brain that for me to go to college, or have access to different resources, I have to go to a school that is predominately white since that is where all the funding and resources are," Janvier said. "This is what happens with Starr, her parents sent her to a private school in order to go to college.”

In the movie, Starr had a friend named Hailey who was not sympathetic to issues of race, and even said some racist comments.

“Understanding other people, understanding that they may not know what they’re doing," Ali said concerning Starr's friend Hailey. "Point it out when it happens but, do it with respect because you expect respect in return. The only way we can move forward is if we can have civil conversations.”

The goal of MLK Jr. Week, as stated on the FSU website, is to bring the FSU and Tallahassee community together to reflect on the past and challenge one another to be engaged in creating social justice and advocating for the civil rights of all.

“Don’t shy away from the conversation; it is up to you," Ali said. "Try to help others understand and join the fight so everyone can receive equality and get the same privileges.”

MLK Jr. events can be found throughout Tallahassee this week.

“Just because you have differences with other people doesn’t mean that you can’t come together and all agree that we need to uplift each other,” Jenkins said.